Mpane’s rough-hewn portraits explore the fundamental connection between place and personal identity. Using plywood glued in layers and finished with an adze – an edging tool that dates to the Stone Age – he produces topographies of the human face reminiscent of relief depictions on a map. This layering reveals contour lines over forms that allude both formally and stylistically to African masks, but also reference Cubism – rooted in an interest in Primitivism – by incorporating bright colors and bold patterns.